help me

[addoane]

I need to know how often to water our orchids. I know that I need to be careful to not over water but I also want to make sure they get enough.
We have 6 plants. Indoor plants in Seattle Washington, but it is really hot in here. I had to cut a leaf of two today. I watered them yesterday with orchid food. When do I water again?

[janet_a]

need some info: what kind of plants, what kind of light are they getting, what kind of pots, and what kind of medium? general rules: never let the plants sit in water in their saucers. let the medium dry out to at least an inch or so deep (stick your finger down in it and see how it feels ) before you water again. water in the mornings, try not to get water in the tops of the plants, and air movement is very important.


look here

http://aos.org/aos/orchids/page01.aspx

under "beginner level" and see if you recognize your plants, that will help determine the care level.

[jerrymeola]

I would like to take the time to point out that "over watering" is a very miss used phrase.

Orchids do not like to grow in a overlywet medium that grows fungus. But usually it is the medium that is holding too much water as it decomposes and decomposing medium is very good growing medium for fungus.

One watering in a bad medium (or an over large pot that does not dry well) can kill the plant from overwatering (I have done it), while I water 2-3 times a day during our hot summers.

If your orchids are new then they probably have good potting medium, the bark will have to be replaced about every two years.

Indoors you should expect to need water no more than twice a week and usually once is enough, but check the medium, put your finger in it of if not possible use a pencil and see if the lead changes color. But usually experience over the next six months will allow you to judge your water levels.

[greyhounder]

Sorry to hi-jack the thread, but rather than start a new one, I thought I would add here.

I have 2 orchids (a phaelanopsis and ludisia discolor). I've been watering weekly since I got them a couple months ago. It seems to be going good? THe phael. gets dry more quickly than the ludisia (the phael. having an all bark medium, and the ludisia seems to have some sphagum moss or something in it). I've been watering them by putting them in the tub after a I had a nice warm shower (no more water in the tub) and let them stay in the there overnight. I pour enough water so that the media looks wet again, but not drenched. Recently I was given a premixed jug of water & orchid "food" (from my mother, who is pretty successful with her orchids). I use this as the weekly watering now. In the morning I put the plants back into an east window. My house is farily cool (about 65 degrees, with day night variations obviously). I had been using a humidifier, but not recently.

Should I be watering more or less frequently? Should I do anything different.

And also, there have been a couple times where the ludisia is still moist when I check it the following week (I use a chopstick in the medium). Should I skip until it is dry, or water anyway?

I notice that the phael. has had some new roots growing, and a couple that look dried. Is that due to watering?

Sorry to intrude....

Bec

[Maba]

Hi Bec,

Glad your plants are doing well for you. I have to say though, that the usual advice is to only water in the mornings when your plants can spend the rest of the day drying out--particularly phalaenopsis. In general, I think it's better for the plants to be watered really thoroughly and then be allowed to almost dry out before you water them again. It's better to learn to gauge how moist the medium is down deep than to simply keep to a weekly schedule. I would have to say that my plants in spag definitely don't need a weekly watering this time of year.

Maba

[greyhounder]

Thanks -- I will water them in the AM. The phal is the one I'm most concerned about water (the ludisia is doing really well for the most part). So watering a couple times a week is not unheard of?

Bec

[Maba]

Phals are what I am most familiar with. If your phal is in bark--especially largeish bark--it would tend to dry out faster and may well need watering more than once a week. It may be on an entirely different schedule than your other plant in spag. When you water it, give it a good long drink wetting everything completely, but not the leaves, or especially not the points where the leaves join the central plant. If you get water in those little junctures, blot it out with a tissue or it can lead to serious disease.

Don't go by how dry the medium seems on the surface--this would be a good place to use another chopstick if you're not doing so already. Wait until the stick is only slightly moist before you water again.

I guess different watering schedules would be a problem if I were taking care of hundreds of orchids, but as it is, I kind of like having something to do on different days!

Maba

The chopstick is an excellent gauge for whether or not a plant needs water. I prefer the shishkabob sticks (or skewers) myself. I leave them in the medium and pull them out when I go to water and test them against my lip or cheek. If they're wet, I don't water. Sometimes in the winter the phals can wait ten or more days before they need watering. With the catts I wait until they're almost dry. It depends on the plant. You can't tell from looking at the bark. The skewers have saved me from killing all my plants.

[greyhounder]

I've been using the chopstick since I got them home. The ludisia can go longer than a week between waterings, but the phal. seems to be about a week, Sometimes it seems drier within that week. And now that I've learned that it;s okay to water it more than once a week, I guess all is good (the orchid grower from which I got the phal. said I should only water it once per week, so that was what I was going by.)